Entertainment

Aaron Sorkin on The Social Reckoning and A Few Good Men on Broadway

Next week, Aaron Sorkin will see the theatrical release of The Social Reckoning, his long-awaited follow-up to The Social Network, as well as the start of the Broadway revival of A Few Good Men.
The leadup is stressful, not just because of the workload, the film premieres, the press frenzy, or, as Sorkin jokes to The Hollywood Reporter, “the potential for career immolation.” But also because Sorkin is returning to two topics that have been benchmarks in his career.
“I’m very proud of the film. I’m excited for people to see it, and I’m proud of the play. Probably, if I could choose, I wouldn’t have them happening at the same time. But it’s a pretty glamorous problem to have,” Sorkin says.
Sorkin is revisiting and refining A Few Good Men more than three decades after its Broadway premiere, which came after he penned the military court drama on cocktail napkins while working as a theater bartender. The play led to a feature film and helped launch the rest of his career. This production brings back Bradley Whitford (who made his debut in the original stage show), alongside Tom Blyth, and Krysta Rodriguez.
With The Social Reckoning, which is scheduled for release Oct. 9, the anticipation comes, in part, as Sorkin said it has not had the traditional test screenings and few people have seen it due to the level of security Sony required around the film due to the subject matter. The film dramatizes the true story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy White). He adds that he himself has not spoken with Meta or CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the film, but that Sony had received a letter.
“I think it was just making the studio aware that Meta has lawyers,” Sorkin said.
Sorkin had been reluctant to write a follow-up to The Social Network, in part because he says he “didn’t want to be the writer of Jaws 2,” but also because he couldn’t initially see where the next story should be. Even now, Sorkin does not see the film as a sequel but sees it as more of a story set in the same universe.
The idea began germinating after he spent several years speaking with Haugen and Horwitz, who published the exposé on how Meta had allegedly been aware of the negative impacts on its platforms on teens and in spreading misinformation.
The breakthrough for Sorkin came when he asked Horwitz what the “inciting action” was for Haugen to turn from devoted Facebook employee to whistleblower and was told that she had a friend who had been radicalized by the social media platform and she wanted to find out how. This led Sorkin to be able to see the first scene of the film, which is always a necessary step for him to start a new project.
“I was eager to write it, and I hadn’t written anything in about a year-and-a-half, and it was just an epic period of writer’s block, and I really wanted to write this scene,” Sorkin said.
“It’s kind of like walking through the woods at night with a flashlight. You can only see as far ahead as the beam will go, but the further in you walk, the further you can see,” Sorkin added of his writing process.
Sorkin had also been approached a few times about reviving A Few Good Men, which ran on Broadway from 1989 to early 1991 and was developed into the 1992 film, starring Tom Cruise as the indefatigable military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee defending two soldiers charged with killing another soldier in a hazing that turned fatal. (Cruise took on the role after Nicole Kidman saw the play and suggested it would be a good part for him, Sorkin said.)
Sorkin said yes to the Broadway revival this time, because he was asked by The Lincoln Center and Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden, and also because he had the opportunity to “do a little polish” on the play.
“Obviously I have very fond memories of it. But I look back on it kind of the way I look at my high school yearbook picture,” Sorkin said.
The timing with the current political environment also felt particularly apt.
“Suddenly, we are talking about illegal orders and what to do when you get one,” he said.
Sorkin initially wrote the play while bartending at the Palace Theater during the Broadway run of La Cage Aux Folles (“There’s not much to do during the first act. So I was writing ‘A Few Good Men’ on cocktail napkins,” he said.) The plot was inspired by a conversation with his sister, a lawyer who had just joined the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps and was visiting Guantanamo Bay to deal with a “code red,” or the off-the-books punishment enacted by fellow soldiers against one of their own. While Sorkin did further research on the case in preparation, he largely fictionalized the rest of the story.
The original play also gave Bradley Whitford his first big break, as he later took over the lead role of Kaffee during the run, and then, notably went on to more roles within the Sorkin universe, including Josh Lyman on The West Wing.
“I do remember standing backstage for the first night when I was going on as Kaffee, and being so terrified, and just thinking, ‘You could sentence people to this, and crime would go down. Why did I volunteer for this?’” Whitford said.
In the upcoming production, Whitford takes on the role of the antagonist, Col. Jessup, the explosive commanding officer questioned about his role in the hazing, opposite Blyth, who is taking on the role of Kaffee. While Jessup was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the film (who memorably delivers the line “You can’t handle the truth!” while being questioned on the stand), Whitford has stayed away from clips of Nicholson, and has developed his own idea of the character, after playing opposite several Jessups in the original production.
“I would often see it as a person who seemed like a Democrat, who I knew was going to trash the classroom, as opposed to a Republican who jogs,” Whitford quipped.
This is also the latest in a string of antagonist roles for the Handmaid’s Tale and Get Out actor, but Whitford said that’s not entirely intentional. “I don’t think I’m at all like that in real life. I find it, you know, difficult to send a steak back, but I can play a monstrous asshole. I don’t know why I have that skill,” he said.
Instead, he notes that he was always drawn to Jessup, because while he may seem explosive and unpredictable, he makes some compelling points about the need for a strong leader in Guantanamo amid the play’s argument about “Is the way to survival dominance or cooperation?”
Ahead of the first preview, Oct. 8, Sorkin said he cleaned up some dialogue and made a few plot points clearer, and then left Arden and the cast alone for a few weeks of rehearsal. He told the cast and crew to “treat this as a new play,” meaning that if something isn’t working during previews, he’s open to rewriting more. During the first read-through Whitford also provided some advice to his fellow cast members gleaned from years of working with Sorkin.
“Now he’s this sort of institution, and I kept going around to all the actors going, ‘You can ask him questions. You don’t have to treat him with reverence. You don’t have to be scared.’ He’s actually a writer who adores actors,” Whitford.
Throughout his career, Sorkin has been drawn to writing about other institutions, in the form of the military or the government, or even something like a newsroom in The Social Reckoning. While he struggles to pinpoint exactly why that is, Sorkin acknowledges that he does have a “romantic” idea about how these institutions should function in American democracy, even while recognizing that they’re “user sensitive.”
When it comes to this production of A Few Good Men, which opens Oct. 29, Sorkin said he largely hopes it’s a great night at the theater. But given its timing, he also hopes audiences listen to the message of the play.
“The people who take orders in the military, they’re going to follow orders. They’re not going to say, “Are you sure? And they’re not going to look in a law book to see if they’re allowed to do it. So we need to pay attention to who’s giving the orders,” Sorkin said.

Entertainment

Hilary Swank, 52, announces she’s pregnant with baby No. 3

Hilary Swank is expecting her third child in December.
The “Million Dollar Baby” actress, 52, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video of herself, husband Philip Schneider and their 3-year-old twins, Aya and Ohm, dancing and wearing what appeared to be glow sticks taped to their bodies.
Swank also showed off her baby bump featuring a tiny glow stick baby.
“A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next, this one releases in December. 😉👼🏼🫶🏼,” she captioned the creative family video.
Fans in the comments thread were in disbelief, with one person writing, “Whatsssss ? Wait, am I crazy, or are you pregnant again?”
Another wrote, “Ahhh congratulations!!! How beautiful! What a fun announcement 😍❤️” while a third chimed in, “Best news of the day, week, month and year!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!”
A fourth gushed, “As a 44 year old mom of twin 7 year olds, I’m so excited and impressed!! I would love to have another baby if only I had the stamina!!!! Enjoy your new hormones 😊”
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The Oscar winner and Schneider welcomed Aya and Ohm back in April 2023. She was 48 at the time.
“It wasn’t easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it. 👼🏼🤍👼🏼 Happy Easter!” she captioned a snapshot of herself holding the infants while taking in a sunset.
She added, “🐣🐣 Posting from pure Heaven. 🙌🏽.”
The actress first announced she was becoming a mom during an interview on “Good Morning America” in October 2022.
The “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress gushed that she was “so happy” to share the news, confessing that it was something she’d “been wanting for a long time.”
“And not just of one but of two,” she added.
Swank — who was previously married to actor Chad Lowe — and Schneider tied the knot in California back in 2018.
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Entertainment

Chuck Lorre says Anna Faris’ exit from ‘Mom’ confirmed his casting concerns

Chuck Lorre suggested his reservations about Anna Faris starring in “Mom” had been “correct” when she left the show for “mysterious reasons.”
The co-creator of the hit CBS comedy reveals in his new memoir, “Sitcom,” that he was initially hesitant to cast Faris, 49, in the lead role, despite her being the network’s first choice to play Christy Plunkett.
“I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material,” Lorre, 73, writes in his book. “Then I thought about how badly I’d bungled my working relationship with Charlie Sheen.”
In his memoir, Lorre claims that Melanie Lynskey was “terrified” of Sheen while filming the final episode of “Two and a Half Men” ahead of the actor’s 2011 exit from the show.
He also writes that the cast and crew were in a “constant state of anxiety” around Sheen.
Sheen, 61, would later tell Lorre to “suck his f–king butt” during a radio show tirade over his “firing,” but the pair eventually mended their relationship when Lorre realized Sheen would be perfect for a role in his HBO comedy series “Bookie.”
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Reflecting on his experience with Sheen, Lorre says he reconsidered his reservations about Faris, writing, “Someone’s personal life is none of my business. The mom in ‘Mom’ would be, and should be, Anna Faris.”
The “Scary Movie” actress went on to star alongside Allison Janney, who played Bonnie Plunkett, from 2013 to 2020, before exiting the series ahead of its eighth season.
“As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct,” Lorre writes in his memoir. “After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”
Lorre praises the show’s later seasons, writing that “‘Mom’ found its true voice” by showing that “there is hope, and there is laughter in overcoming the seemingly fatal disease of alcoholism.”
He also criticizes CBS for canceling the series after eight seasons in 2021, writing, “CBS decided they could live without a perfect cast led by a national treasure. They canceled a show starring Allison Janney.”
Faris would later open up about her decision to leave “Mom” during a June appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
“I do think the intensity, like, towards the end, I think I started to lose my focus,” Faris said.
“I’d never had a job, besides waitressing, for over three and a half months before,” she added, noting that her decision to leave came during a “complicated time.”
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Entertainment

Kaley Cuoco Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Fiancé Tom Pelphrey

Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey are celebrating their new family member with a big bang.
The Flight Attendant star and the Task actor—who got engaged in 2024 after two years of dating—welcomed their second child Philomena Carmine Bobby Pelphrey on Oct. 12, turning their 3-year-old daughter Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey into a big sister.
“There are no words to describe this feeling once again. What a blessing,” Cuoco wrote on Instagram Oct. 14. “We are so grateful for the crazy wild up and down journey that brought us to our little Philo! Family officially complete.”
Sharing sweet photos of their baby girl with Pelphrey, Cuoco wrote, “@tommypelphrey life exploded the minute we met, and the gifts keep coming. I love you forever , girl daddy!”
And she quipped that their daughter Matilda is just as thrilled by the change, adding, “Time to bring Matilda’s baby home!”

Entertainment

Listen to Hayden Panettiere 911 call as Brian Hickerson’s brother desperately tries to save actress’ life

Zach Hickerson’s desperate attempts to save actress Hayden Panettiere’s life have been revealed in a a newly released 911 audio dispatch.
A 911 call, obtained by CBS News Wednesday, revealed Brian Hickerson’s brother called authorities in a panic after finding the “Heroes” alum unresponsive in an Airbnb in South Carolina on Aug. 16.
“Oh god, oh my god,” Zach — who said he had just returned from church when he found her — can be heard on the call before the dispatcher asked if Panettiere was breathing. “No, I don’t think so.”
The dispatcher instructed Zach to find a defibrillator, which he was unable to locate. He then confirmed the actress was not breathing.
“OK, we need to start CPR,” the dispatcher told Zach. “I’m going to tell you how to do CPR, OK? We’re gonna start with ventilation first.”
Zach proceeded to perform the life-saving measures on Panettiere until first responders arrived and took over.
The “I Love You Beth Cooper” star was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m. local time. She was 36.
Additionally, a police report previously obtained by Page Six revealed Brian, who was involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with Panettiere since 2018, gave officers a “bag of medication” she had been taking.
Page Six confirmed that Panettiere died from the toxic effects of 4-ANPP, fentanyl, methocarbamol, alprazolam and quetiapine.
Her manner of death was ruled an accident, with “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
Hayden’s death was confirmed by her father, Skip Panettiere, via a statement that same day.
“She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” he wrote. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Ahead of her death, Hayden was candid about her ongoing addiction to opioids and alcohol, and her journey with postpartum depression.
The “Nashville” alum recalled in 2015 the “really scary” and “painful” experience after she gave birth to her and her then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko’s now 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding — there’s a lot of people out there that think it’s not real, that’s it not true, that it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that, ‘Oh, it’s hormones,’” she shared on a vulnerable episode of “Live with Kelly and Michael.”
“They brush it off. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary and women need a lot of support.”
Ultimately, Hayden’s battle with addiction led to her engagement with Klitschko ending in 2018, and her giving full custody of Kaya to her ex.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do,” Hayden said in 2022, per People. “But I wanted to be a good mom to her — and sometimes that means letting them go.”
According to a Greenville County Coroner’s Office obtained by Page Six, Hayden had allegedly overdosed and entered rehab before she died.

Entertainment

60 Minutes Ratings Nosedive as Dust-Up Grabs Headlines

The latest episode of 60 Minutes came in as the lowest-rated of the season so far, according to final tallies from Nielsen Media Research.
Sunday’s episode, which included headline-grabbing segments from the West Bank and an interview with the director of the Secret Service, raked in 6.061 million total viewers and some 767,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic.
Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl has allegedly considered quitting the flagship news program after a round of heated edits over her segment on Israeli settler harassment in the West Bank.
The segment also led to a tense meeting on Tuesday, during which protesting staffers were reportedly threatened with termination if they ever question the editorial hierarchy at CBS News.
The program performed below CBS’s Sunday night shows Tracker and Marshals, which air after 60 Minutes and both landed well above 7 million total viewers.
Sunday’s ratings dip comes a week after 60 Minutes scored an impressive 10.2 million total viewers and 2 million viewers in the demo on October 4, widely seen as a vindication of sorts for CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Notably, that episode benefited from an NFL lead-in, unlike the most recent one.
This past Sunday’s program echoes some of the struggles the season kicked off with, as its debut was the lowest-rated since 2000. The September debut landed with 7.9 million total viewers, a 21% drop from the previous year’s debut episode and a significant decrease from years prior.
In October 2000, for example, the show premiered with a whopping 11.2 million total viewers — in what was a very different media environment for linear television.
Sunday’s episode, which is the season’s fourth, was also the lowest-rated fourth episode 60 Minutes has had since 2000, in both total viewers and the demo.